SEND

At The Grange School our philosophy is that all pupils should be facilitated to reach their full potential. This may mean that they need extra provision for a period of time to achieve this.

Our aim is to enable all students, regardless of ability, race, or need, to make the greatest possible progress in their learning, whilst experiencing a broad and balanced curriculum alongside their peers. We believe that all teachers are teachers of special educational needs and should endeavour to differentiate work so that all students have access to the curriculum at levels that are suitable for their abilities.

At The Grange, our motto is, ‘I shall grow and I shall shine’, and with this ethos we ensure that all of our students are provided with quality educational opportunities.

A child has a learning difficulty if he or she:

has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age

has a disability which either prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind provided for children of the same age in schools within the area of the local education authority.

is not making progress in line with their ability, is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline, fails to match or better the child's previous rate of progress, fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers.

Special provision is educational provision which is additional to, or otherwise different from, provision made generally for children of the child's age in maintained schools, other than special schools, in the area.

We believe that our good practice can make a difference and we endeavour to 'personalise' our learning support by including the following:

Withdrawal classes to improve Literacy and numeracy or specific teaching to address a particular need at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4, individually or in small groups.

Classroom observations to make recommendations about classroom management, seating plans, type of learner, noise levels, and group dynamics.

Mixed ability and ability grouping according to subject.

Regular monitoring of progress and students’ Attitude to Learning.

Pastoral support plans are created in discussion with Heads of Year, Teachers, Teaching Assistants, Parents and Students.

Personalised courses that may include reduced GCSE options, study skills, work placements, vocational courses and College taster sessions.

Close liaison with parents to create a partnership for making shared decisions about educational provision.

The valuable and unique resource of a Thrive Programme and Student Support Services which cater for a number of social, medical and peer issues that arise and can be addressed through ELSA, and involvement of specialist outside agencies.

The coordination of learning support and special needs within The Grange School is undertaken by Head of School, Pete Nealon, who is responsible for the day to day operation of the school's SEN policy, co-ordination of provision for students and liaison with parents, staff and external agencies. In addition, there is a strong team made up of the SEN Coordinator, SEN Manager, Specialist Teachers, HLTAs (Higher Level Teaching Assistants), ELSA Coordinator and Teaching Assistants who provide mentoring and support during lessons.

To learn more about how we include students with Special Educational Needs, please see the documents below. There are also policies relevant to Special Educational Needs here.